Family Ties
by Sugar Angel
Summary: Sequel to 'Back in Control': (This is the real story, the last one uploaded wrong) Rogue's control over her powers brings new discoveries for the X-Men


Family Ties  
  
By Sugar Angel  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. Marvel does. I am using these without permission. I own Tori, Electra, & Jamal. Rogue's real name is totally from my imagination. (Avidale ain't even a real name) I am only writing because there is nothing to do on this base so please don't sue me.  
  
Summary: Rogue's control over her powers brings new discoveries for the X-men.  
  
Sequel to: "Back in Control"; prequel to: "Now That's Mah Kinda Woman!"  
  
  
  
It had been two months since Rogue had started to train with Jean in secret for control of Rogue's first power. The last week of her training, most of the team was out on a mission: Gambit, Storm, Cyclops, Psylocke, Archangel, Cannonball, and Iceman.  
  
On the day they were to come home, Rogue finished her very last training session with Jean. As they were changing into street clothes in the locker room, they began to talk.  
  
"Jean," Rogue said, pulling a "B.B. King" tank top over her head. "Thanks fer helpin' me out. An' since ya been such a big help, Ah wanna tell ya a secret."  
  
"Sure, Rogue. You know you can tell me anything." Jean said, closing her locker.  
  
"Well, the thing is, we sorta have a special relationship."  
  
"How so?"  
  
Rogue reached into her locker and pulled out two sheets of computer paper. She handed them to Jean. Looking at them, all Jean saw was a bunch of dots. The dots were in nearly identical formations. The papers were almost exactly the same, except one said "Codename: Rogue" and the other said "Codename: Phoenix".  
  
"What do they mean?" Jean asked.  
  
"These are DNA tests that Beast had. He says that we're related."  
  
"What kind of 'related'?"  
  
"Ya know 'Mother-daughter related.' Ya're the mom. Ah'm the daughter."  
  
"How is this possible? Wouldn't I know if I had a kid? Please don't tell me you came from the future, too." Jean said, one eyebrow raised.  
  
Rogue had to laugh. Jean just looked so skeptical. "No, Jean Ah'm from this time. But brace yerself. This is where Sinister comes into it. See, he took DNA from ya when ya were little an' made me."  
  
"So you're my clone. My Gosh, this is so Magneto-Joseph. Or maybe Madelyne."  
  
"No Ah have Summers' DNA in me, too. He combined Scott's DNA with yours."  
  
"So, you're my firstborn! This is so great! But, when did Beast tell you?"  
  
"He told me when Ah got th' tests from the lab."  
  
"But I was the one that picked up the results."  
  
"He called me down a few days before you to tell me something. When I got there, he told me that you and I's related. He then promised to keep it a secret so that Ah could tell everybody when Ah wanted to."  
  
"He told me something that I have to tell you, too. But, that sure was nice of him…" Jean started.  
  
But Rogue cut her off. "There's so much Ah gotta do today. Where do you want me to start?"  
  
"Well, I guess a mom has to know what her child is named, right?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Well, my given name is Angela Avidale. Angela fer short. But since the kid's parents are supozda name th' kid, Ah guess ya kin change it, if'n ya want." Rogue sounded so sure of herself, yet Jean could tell that she didn't want her to change it.  
  
"Oh, no." Jean said, smiling, "Angela Avidale is a beautiful name. I couldn't have picked a better one myself."  
  
"Thanks," Rogue paused, as if uncertain, then, "momma."  
  
"You're welcome, Angela." Jean gave her most motherly smile.  
  
"About what you had to tell me," Angela said (Author's note: Be aware that I will from now on call her Angela), "How's about you, Scott, me, and Remy go to the Snake Eyes Club in town. You can tell me then. You can also tell Scott everything Ah told you. But don't tell anyone else."  
  
Jean then became aware of how old Angela seemed. She had never learned of the girl's real age. "That would be great. By the way, how old are you?"  
  
Angela seemed taken aback by her mother's words. "I'll be 18 in February. Why?"  
  
"I just wish we had spent more time together. You'll be graduating next summer. Then you'll probably go marry Gambit."  
  
"Oh, Ah sure hope so. Is there something wrong with that?"  
  
"No, not at all. Maybe in the mean time, we could spend more time together. If you don't have any classes tomorrow, we could go shopping? Say, nine o'clock?"  
  
"Nope my schedule's all clear. That would be great! I could use a new pair of Skechers. Ah'll see ya later." Angela hugged Jean and then disappeared out of the locker room door.  
  
Jean sighed. After she put her lock on her locker, she ran down the hall to the hanger. And there was the massive airplane known as the Blackbird. A few more minutes and the team piled off the vehicle. The first off was her husband.  
  
"Scott!" Jean said, running towards her husband, arms open. Scott had his back to her, but as soon as he heard her voice, he turned around to welcome her hug.  
  
Their kiss only lasted for a few minutes, but to Jean, it felt like hours. She had missed him so much. Her eyes suddenly snapped open when she heard the familiar Cajun voice teasing their teammate Cannonball about something.  
  
"Hold that thought." Jean said pulling out of Scott's embrace. She ran over to Gambit.  
  
"What's up, Chere?" Turning his attention to the redhead, he gave her a smile that could melt a truck.  
  
"I have to talk to you about something." She said, pulling him over to the side.  
  
"Okay. Talk t' ya heart's content, sil vous plait." Folding his arms over his chest, he leaned against the wall behind him.  
  
"Rogue wants all of us to go out to dinner tonight. To the Snake Eyes club and café."  
  
"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Define 'us'."  
  
"You, Rogue, me and Scott, of course."  
  
Then Gambit's eyes narrowed and his accent got thicker in protest. "I cain't stay in de same room wit dat…dat chienne!"  
  
"You won't even have to go near him. I promise. Besides, it would mean a lot to Rogue." Jean said pleadingly.  
  
"I'll do it if it will make her happy."  
  
"Good. See you at 6:30!" Jean ran off.  
  
"Where's Rogue?" Gambit yelled after her.  
  
Without even turning around, Jean replied, "I don't know. Go try her room."  
  
Gambit did check her room. Everything was just like normal. But when he headed over to his room to change his clothes, and opened the door, he noticed that the door to his balcony was open. He could see a figure standing behind his opaque white curtains. As he advanced toward the silhouette, he recognized the figure as the hour-glassed shape of a woman. And he could only guess who it really was.  
  
As the curtains parted and Angela stepped out, Gambit was surprised by the look in her eyes. Peering through her white bangs, Rogue flipped her hair and thrust her hands into the pockets of her white cutoffs. As Gambit looked her up and down, he allowed a grin to creep onto his lips.  
  
"I got's a surprise for ya Remy." Angela said, letting her voice obtain a sultry disposition. She began walking slowly towards him.  
  
"An' what might dat be, Chere?"  
  
"Go sit on the bed an' close yer eyes an' Ah'll show ya." She led him over to his bed and sat down next to him. After he closed his eyes, Angela slowly pulled off her gloves.  
  
"Ready?" Gambit nodded. "Lean against me." Having Remy's body touch her caused Angela to go hot all over. She almost lost control. Taking a deep breath, she prepared for what she was about to do. She laid one of her warm hands on Remy's cold cheek. She slowly lowered her mouth to his. A shiver escaped her body as their lips met. For a minute, Angela was in another world. She could see hearts floating around them. A haze surrounded the two and changed color from blue to pink and back again. When she returned to earth, her fingers had entwined in Remy's hair and she was laying underneath him. Gambit's hands grasped the small of her back so tightly that they sent shivers of pleasure up her spine. She allowed the kiss to deepen. Suddenly, his radio turned on. Surprised, Angela rolled Gambit onto his back so that she was sitting on his stomach.  
  
Breaking the kiss, Angela sat up. Gambit's hands still grasped her waist. Gasping for breath, Angela asked, "Remy, did ya set th' alarm?"  
  
"No, I only set it at night."  
  
Still staring at the stereo, Angela concentrated for a little while. Just as suddenly as the stereo turned on, it was off. Confused, she said, "Remy Ah gotta go."  
  
She then began to dismount from her perch, but not before Gambit pulled her back down.  
  
"Now wait jus' a second, Cherie. You come in here, give Gambit de kiss of de cen'try, an' then 'spect ta jus' run off? I don' tink so. You got some 'splainin' ta do." He said, finishing off with a line from Angela's favorite television show on "Nick at Nite". "Firsta all where did all dis come from?"  
  
"Oh, Jean taught me how ta control mah powahs." She said, distracted. Again she tried to escape, only to have Remy stop her once more. "Why won't ya let me go?"  
  
"You ain't goin' nowhere til I get de whole story."  
  
"Fahne. Jean got a program that would help me gain control over mah powah. So we been workin' on that fer the last coupla months an' t'day was th' last lesson. Then we got some tests back from the lab and they said that mah birth parents were …um…," She paused, biting her lip. "Kin Ah go now?"  
  
"What was dat you said bout yer birt' parents?" He said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Well ya see, it's like this. Beast ran some DNA tests an' it turns out that me an' Jean are related."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Jean's mah momma and Scott's mah …" She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him, taking into consideration the bad terms that he and Scott were on. "Poppa." she mumbled.  
  
Before Gambit could reply, she quickly slapped her hands on his chest, and said, "Well, Ah gotta go git ready fer t'night."  
  
"Wait, Chere. Why you in sucha hurry?"  
  
"Well, Ah thought that since…" She trailed off.  
  
"You thought that since Gambit an' Cyke always at each oder's neck, then I wouldn' love ya no more. Dat it?" Angela hung her head. Remy lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers, "Mon Amour, even if we gotta do de whole Romeo an' Juliet ting we gonna git t'rough dis." He kissed her on the forehead. "Anywayz, dis'll give me sumpting else t' piss 'im off wit." Angela playfully punched him in the shoulder, not hard, but it still made him wince.  
  
Angela dug her nails into the folds of his trench coat and pulled him up into a sitting position. As she leaned down to kiss him, he put his index finger on her nose. "Non, Chere. It's my turn.."  
  
Sliding his hands into the hair on the back of her neck, he looked into her bright green eyes, and, licking his lips, kissed her tenderly. He felt her hands twine through his hair. Once again the kiss deepened, but this time there were no interruptions. Until, realizing what time it was, Angela broke away and got off the bed. Gambit sat on the bed like a puppy with no owner and out in the rain, looking into the warmth of a fireplace lit home.  
  
"Ah'm sorry Remy, but Ah gotta go get ready. Ah be back later, though." With that she left, closing the door behind her.  
  
Gambit lay back down on his bed, folding his arms behind his head, a smile on his face. Lazily, he reached over to the clock on his nightstand. 6:00. "Six o'clock? Bedda git crackin'!"  
  
Shaking off the effects off the last half hour, Gambit took a short shower and quickly dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a long-sleeved shiny black shirt. Running a hand through his now chin-length hair, he grabbed a black duster, locked the door behind him and hurried downstairs.  
  
At the end of the stairwell, Angela waited for him with her parents. She was wearing a short, glittery blue dress with tripled spaghetti style straps. Next to her, Jean was wearing an off-the-shoulder red dress. The family resemblance was at it's strongest. Scott was wearing light brown slacks and a sky blue shirt.  
  
They arrived at the Snake Eyes Club in Gambit's dark green Camaro. Upon getting out, the club bouncer greeted them with open arms, saying, "A friend of Remy's is a friend of mine." Many of the women gazed in envy at Angela and Jean, while others yelled at their dates to stop gawking.  
  
The mutants were overwhelmed by the volume of things inside of this particular night club. They found a table farthest away from the DJ stand and the speakers so they could talk without yelling. During dinner, Jean remembered something.  
  
"Angela, When I got the results from Beast, he said that you being able to control your absorption power has heightened the use of Carol Danver's sixth sense, which you still appear to have. It has evolved into a weak telekinetic power." Jean said.  
  
"English, sil vous plait?" Gambit said.  
  
"Ah have telepathy?" Angela shrieked.  
  
"She can control her powers?" Scott asked.  
  
Looking at him, Angela said, "Didn't she tell ya, Daddy?"  
  
"Uh, Angela…" Jean started.  
  
"DADDY?" Scott said, just before he fainted in his chair.  
  
"I didn't tell him yet honey." Jean said holding her forehead.  
  
"Oops!" Angela said, putting her hand over her mouth.  
  
Gambit, who had nearly turned red during the whole ordeal, turned to a table of people who had been watching them, and said, "'e jus' found out dat e's a fatha." Then he winked at them.  
  
Affected by his charm, they just resumed eating. When Remy turned back, his girlfriend was holding perfume under her father's nose to wake him up.  
  
"Wha…What just happened?" Scott said stirring.  
  
"You a fatha, homme." Gambit said, shuffling a deck of cards between his two hands. "To Rogue."  
  
"I am?!" he said, his eyes rolling back in head. Just before he dropped back into unconsciousness, Angela knocked him smartly on the back of the head.  
  
"Now that you're awake, me an' Remy are gonna dance." She said, taking Gambit by the arm. He voluntarily followed.  
  
"Smooth move, Amour." He said when they were well away from the table.  
  
Ignoring his comment, Angela snaked her arms around his neck. "So, what do ya do wanna do tonight?"  
  
"Well Chere, I wanted ta take it slow for now, so how's 'bout we watch some movies up in my room, and then sleep. I got a trainin' session t'morrow."  
  
"Okay, Remy. But," She said, a little disappointed, "how little am Ah allowed ta wear?"  
  
"Oh, you kin wear as little as ya want. As long as ya wearin' sumpthin' or else Remy may get a lil' crazy." Gambit added a little wink and flashed a smile.  
  
Then the DJ began to play "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down and it became impossible for the two X-Men to talk anymore. They allowed themselves to be pulled into the bouncing crowd. Pretty soon, they found themselves dancing to "Dance With Me" by Debolah Morgan in a clearing, people cheering them on. Angela executed a 360-turn and then fell into Remy's outstretched arms. Twirling around to face him, she gave Remy the signal to dip her. She leaned into the dip, lifting her leg gracefully in the process. Remy swung her around, dragging her hair on the ground. He tapped her on the chin with his fingertip and she straightened up. They spun away from each other and then faced each other sharply. Angela began to shimmy sexily towards Gambit while he walked in her direction. When they met in the center, she turned so her back was facing him. Placing his hands on her hips, Gambit forced her to the floor. The song ended with Angela sitting on her knees leaning back with her back arched, and Gambit standing triumphantly over her.  
  
Breathing heavily, Gambit helped her to her feet, accepting all the praise from the dancers that had watched their performance. Walking back to the table, Jean was still trying to explain to Scott how it was possible for Angela to be their daughter.  
  
Noticing that Angela and Remy were there, Jean said, "Where have you been? It's nearly 10:00!"  
  
"It is?" Angela checked the rhinestone dotted watch that hung limply around her wrist, and indeed it was. Next to her, Remy yawned openly.  
  
"Can we go home, now?" Scott groaned.  
  
"Maybe we should. I mean," Jean began, "we have a shopping trip tomorrow and you boys have a training session," Scott and Gambit glared at each other, "and just getting back from a mission, you two are probably really tired. So let's go get some sleep." And with that, they left the club.  
  
Back at the mansion, Angela was very anxious for her night alone with Gambit. And she knew just what to wear. She dug around in her closet until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out the silk camisole and shorts set, she put it on. The lavender color looked great with her recent tan, and the open back style of the camisole showed off what Remy thought was the sexiest part of a woman's body: the back. The length of the shorts showed off Angela's toned, muscular legs from mid-thigh down. Flinging her dark red robe over her shoulders, she rummaged in her dresser for an outfit for the next day. Finally, she settled on a white cotton tank top and a pair of denim low-cut bellbottoms. Going over to her bookcase, where she kept her movies, she picked up The Mask Of Zorro, since it was kind of a romantic comedy with just the right amount of action to keep their attention on the screen. She got her dorm key out of her purse and rushed out of her room. In the hall, she paused to lock her door.  
  
"Where are you going, Rogue?"  
  
Angela turned around. Behind her was Jubilee in an "I ♥ Canada" nightshirt. It had been a present for her fifteenth birthday from their furry teammate, Wolvie.  
  
"Me an' Remy are gonna watch some movies."  
  
"Yeah, right. And I'm the Queen of England." Jubilee crossed her arms tightly over her chest.  
  
"And what is her Majesty doin' up so late?"  
  
"I was getting a glass of water. Jean told me about your powers and I don't think you would just be watching movies in your $50 PJs."  
  
Looking down, Angela discovered that, in her hurry, she had forgotten to close her robe. "Serves ya right fer thinkin'. And these are my $60 PJs. We are jus' watchin' movies. Ah am jus' 17 afta all."  
  
"Okay then, Rogue. What time are ya gonna be back?"  
  
"About 9 'clock."  
  
"It's nearly 11:00!"  
  
"Who said anythin' 'bout PM? An' ya call me Angela." Angela smiled a sickly sweet smile, and walked away.  
  
"Angela?" Jubilee said, confused. Then in exclamation, "Storm! I know Rogue's real name!"  
  
Running up to the attic, she knocked on Storm's door. A half asleep white-haired goddess answered the door.  
  
"Storm! I know Rogue's real name! It's…" Jubilee started to say.  
  
"Angela." Storm interrupted matter-of-factly. "She told me after her session today."  
  
Walking away, Jubilee raised her hands in frustration. "How come I'm always the last to know everything?!"  
  
* * *  
  
In his room, Remy was busy getting ready, too. Before he had headed up to his room, he sneaked outside to the flower bed. Knowing full well that Storm would severely hurt him if he touched any of those flowers, he picked a bouquet of lilies, roses, and white oleanders.  
  
Going back inside, he found his way to the linen closet and got the smallest blanket he could find. Thankfully, it didn't have a feminine motif. He went down the hall to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he got out the bag of strawberries. Pretty much everyone in the mansion loved strawberries, himself and Angela included, so there was always an abundant supply in the fridge. Placing the bag on the blanket, he then proceeded to remove all the non-perishable foods that he knew Angela enjoyed out and took the elevator up to his room.  
  
He spread the food out on the blanket and laid it on the floor on the foot of his bed. Opening the top drawer of his bureau, he got out a beautifully decorated box. It had been given to him by Electra Fallow, one of the teenage girls with a crush on him that attended the French class that he taught. She didn't seem to pay much attention in class, yet she still kept up her grades. She was one of the few human students to attend The School for the Gifted. She had been born a natural witch and was shunned by normal humans, so her mother applied for a job at the school as a teacher and now Electra gets the education of a regular teenager.  
  
Inside the box was about two dozen black candles that were made with magic: witch fire. When lit they produced only light, no heat. The fire would only travel if someone had meant for it to travel. They had been a birthday gift modeled after a comment he had made in class on how he liked candle light dinners. Electra had handed them to him with a shy smile saying, "Don't waste these. Keep them until you're sure it's love."  
  
He set them up around his room in various holders and lit them with his Zippo. He took all the petals off one rose, amaranth, and lily and laid them out on his dark blue bedspread, then placed the rest in vases around his room. Then he went to his bathroom and began to brush his teeth. He smiled through a mouthful of toothpaste when he heard his door open and Angela's silent footsteps enter the room.  
  
Angela gasped. Remy's room had been transformed into something that would be featured in a romance novel. She made a slow 360 turn, taking it all in. Remy silently rinsed and spat. He walked out of the bathroom and said, "Wha' do ya tink, Chere?"  
  
As Angela turned around, Gambit noticed how much skin she was showing off. It normally wasn't her style to do so, but he decided that she deserved a little freedom.  
  
"Oh, Remy! It's wonderful." She said and gave him a hug. It was almost like the night when they had made up, only she now had no fear of hurting him.  
  
When they cut the embrace, Angela asked, "So what do ya wanna do first?"  
  
How about a little snugglin'? Remy thought but immediately shut that thought out when he remembered the promise he had made to her earlier about taking it slow. "How about we watch a movie?"  
  
"Okay, what about this?" She held up the copy of The Mask of Zorro.  
  
"Dat'll do."  
  
Remy put the tape in and then positioned himself on the bed next to Angela, the pillows propped up behind them.  
  
They barely watched the movie. They were mostly fascinated that they touch. As Gambit gently touched her cheek, Angela accidentally allowed a tremor of utter happiness to extend beyond the safety their room.  
  
* * *  
  
"What was that?" Scott sat up abruptly in the bed he shared with his wife.  
  
"What was what?" Jean asked innocently. She had felt it, too. But she trusted her teammate with her daughter. They were responsible adults.  
  
"She's doing what with him?!" Scott exclaimed, slipping into his robe.  
  
Oops. Jean mentally slapped herself. She had been concentrating so much on the subject, that she had let her guard down and hadn't noticed that her thoughts had gotten out.  
  
Meanwhile, her husband had put on a pair of unlaced tennis shoes and run out of the boat house.  
  
He hasn't been her father for even one day, and he's already gone nuts. Jean settled back against the sheets and covered her head with a pillow.  
  
* * *  
  
As Scott turned onto the dorm's corridor, he heard fierce giggling coming down the hall. He began to jog. As he neared Gambit's room, the giggling got louder and he could now hear faint girlish squeals in between fits of laughter.  
  
Scott didn't even slow down when he came upon the room where the giggling was most prominent; he barged into the door.  
  
Angela was lying on the bed crouched in a fetal position laughing, while Remy sat on his knees and tickled her sides. They both looked up when Scott opened the door. Angela sat up, her face red, and began to smooth down her red and white hair.  
  
"What are you two doing!?" Scott boomed.  
  
"Watchin' a movie." Remy replied in his devil-may-care tone, getting up from the bed to stand in Scott's face. "Ya got a problem wit dat?" He finished pulling himself up to his full six foot-two inches and making his eyes glow with glittering fierceness.  
  
Scott walked to Remy's left and looked at the television. He watched as Antonio danced with Catherine. "No not at all." Scott said, giving Remy a look that said If-you-touch-her,-I'll-shove-my-visor-so-far-up-your-ass,- your-eyes-will-turn-blue and left.  
  
Gambit shook his head and went back to sit by Angela. As he lay back, his legs dangling over the edge of the bed, Angela laid her head on his chest. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes. Angela could feel her eyelids getting heavy. She took a deep breath and sighed, "Ah love you, Remy LeBeau."  
  
"I love you too, Angela. Even if I hate your fatha, I'll always love you." Then Angela's body became impossibly heavy on his side and he knew that she was asleep. Slowly he sat up. After tucking her in, he turned off the TV and all the candles except for one. He decided he was too tired to wrestle with putting the food in the little fridge near his wall unit, so instead he got out of his robe. He staggered to the bed and laid down. As he listened to Angela's steady breathing, he could feel his own eyelids getting heavier and he could barely keep them open. Finally, he gave into six hours of hard earned uninterrupted sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
He awoke to the annoying rhythmic beep of the alarm clock on his nightstand. Rolling over, he knocked it off the stand with one swipe of his forearm. When it smacked into the wall, the sleep function was activated. It was a process that had taken careful timing, and normally he would now stay in bed until it went off again. Today, however, Angela's body felt so good up against him, he thought, if he didn't get up now, he would probably stay in bed until some one came and drug him down to the danger room. Which was what he normally did anyway.  
  
After carefully prying Angela's sleeping form off of his chest, he headed to the bathroom. Once he had relieved himself, he turned the shower on, and after setting the controls to the right heat, stepped into the stall. Letting the hot water wash over him, he felt all the tension flow out of his muscles. He quickly ran a soapy sponge over himself and rinsed off. He wrapped a huge green towel around his waist and took a couple of seconds to run inside his room, grab his uniform, and run back inside the steamy bathroom. After all, if he let a seventeen year old girl see his naked body, he could lose his job as French teacher for the School, and seeing as Angela was Scott's daughter, he could even make Remy lose his place on the X-men. As a 20 year old mutant, the only good things he had going for himself were at the school and he wasn't about to ruin that for Angela and himself. He finished dressing, pushed the headband up under his hair, and began to scribble a quick note to Angela. In the rush, he noticed that his clock read 6:55. He was fifteen minutes late! Setting the note on the nightstand, he grabbed his trench coat and ran down the hall, not even bothering to lock the door behind him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Why can't our 'fearless leader' go fetch the Cajun if he's so dang worried about people cutting the session?" Bobby muttered as he walked idly down the corridor. He could hear the sounds of the alarms of the other students going off and showers being taken. Even though he enjoyed skipping some classes in the mornings occasionally due to training, he hated not being able to sleep in later. He pulled at the collar of his uniform. Suddenly one of the doors opened and a girl about his age stepped out. Her dark hair was wet and hung limply to her shoulders. The back of her blue tee-shirt was soaked and her white flares were held up by a thick brown belt. She hurried across the hall to another door and knocked.  
  
That was when she noticed Bobby. A pink tint stained her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She didn't even notice when the door in front of her opened. He could hear the radio on in that room and then another girl's head popped into the doorway. She, too, stared at him.  
  
"O…M…G," he heard her say. Bobby decided to just play along with the whole thing. After all, he got this sort of thing all the time, being an X- man. He flashed them what he hoped was his most charming smile and winked. The first girl's knees began to wobble back and forth so violently that she almost pitched over. Coolly, Bobby walked by, all the while feeling their eyes on his behind. Just before he turned the corner, he checked his watch. He did a double-take when he saw that it was three after seven. Only after he turned onto the next corridor did he break into a sprint.  
  
* * *  
  
Carol Semino slammed the door behind her and leaned against the cool wood. She exhaled, realizing that she had been holding her breath. After she regained her composure, she turned to her friend, "Was it my imagination, or was he majorly hot?" She fanned herself with one hand.  
  
Steffani Webster sat up from where she had collapsed on her bed. "Oh, yeah! He was real! I think he was an X-man."  
  
"You really think so?" Carol stood up, "I mean, the uniform was a dead give away, but what do you think he was doing in the dorms?"  
  
"I don't know, but, did you see those muscles? And I bet my hair was a mess!" Steffani headed into the bathroom.  
  
"You? I can't believe I went out there with my wet hair!" She walked over to the stereo and turned the volume down. "Actually, he sort of reminded me of this one eleventh grader. Bobby, I think."  
  
"Hey, wouldn't it be totally cool if we found who in this school was an X-man? We would have the most classified info in the whole student body!" Steffani poked her head out of the side of the bathroom door.  
  
"This is going to be so tight!" They both flopped on the bed and began to make a list of all possible mutants.  
  
* * *  
  
As Bobby came upon Gambit's door, he didn't even knock. Remy was usually waiting for him, anyway. His eyes landed on the half naked form of Angela lying on the bed. Her hair was splayed out on the white pillow and the sheets were tangled around her. His gaze next wandered down to the floor and to the leftover food from the night before. He bent down and picked up some strawberries. Popping one into his mouth, he let the flavor spread and began chewing. That was when he realized that he hasn't eaten anything since supper.  
  
He was loading up a napkin with food when he saw a folded outfit near the edge of the picnic blanket. He carefully set his napkin down and walked over to the pile. Unfolding the top garment he found a white tank top.  
  
True to his reputation, thoughts began to run through his head. He searched through the pile, looking for a bra. After a few minutes, he realized that there just wasn't one. 'Aw, Dang!… Wait, no bra + white tank top + Rogue = Bobby's lucky day!'  
  
With that in mind, he picked up his food and got ready to leave. His attention was once again diverted by a card on the night stand standing on one end with a single word written on it, in the Cajun's signature hand: ~ Angela ~.  
  
Bobby opened the card and read its contents:  
  
Dear Angela,  
  
I hope you slept well. I'm going to my training session now. Sorry for leaving. Just so you know, I might have a little trouble controlling your father after what happened last night. He may be our leader and everything, but does he always have to act like he's got a bug up his ass?  
  
Love You,  
  
Remy LeBeau  
  
This confused Bobby at first. Never having gotten very much above average in his classes, it took him awhile to put two and two together. At the end of his deciphering, he concluded that Rogue had control over her powers, was the daughter of Scott and therefore Jean, and was named Angela.  
  
He looked over at Angela lying on her stomach on the bed. She let out a little groan and rolled onto her back. This little motion caused Bobby to notice how high her shirt had hiked up. He looked around, just in case there was another living being in the room. Seeing only electronics and leather, he grasped the headboard with one hand and leaned forward. He reached his other hand toward the edge of Angela's camisole and slowly lifted it up. He tilted his head a little to peer under. Seeing nothing, he lifted the edge higher.  
  
"Bobby! What the hell is taking you so long you so long! Gambit's already down here!"  
  
Bobby momentarily lost his balance and fell forward, but caught his foot on the nightstand and stopped a few feet above Angela's stomach. Suddenly, Angela rolled onto her side and swung her arm out. She grabbed a hunk of Bobby's hair and yanked his head down to the other pillow. This caught Bobby so off guard that he temporarily turned to ice form. He carefully untwined her fingers from the brown mop of overly long hair on the top of his head.  
  
As he stood up, he pressed the com button and spoke softly, "Kay, Scott. I'm coming. Be quiet though. Your daughter is still sleeping. I'll be there in a sec."  
  
He took one more glance at Angela and left.  
  
At 7:30, Angela finally woke up. She felt at her side and found Gambit's spot empty. Groggily getting up, she noticed the note that Bobby had read. She read it for herself and then smiled.  
  
'Daddy better behave.' She placed the card back where it had been and got up to stretch. The smell of a home cooked breakfast through the halls. Angela felt her stomach growl. She picked a couple strawberries out of the bowl on the floor. Popping on into her mouth, she turned the hot water on in the shower. She chewed thoughtfully while waiting for the water to warm. She absentmindedly stuck her hand under the faucet and nearly burned it.  
  
"Well, that water's hot anuff." She said out loud to no one in particular. She was surprised, normally the water wouldn't have had any effect on her skin. That was when she realized that she had complete control over all of her powers.  
  
She evened out the hot water with the cold and undressed. She put her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. After stepping into the shower, she lathered up with a sponge and some body wash, rinsed off, and turned off the water. After stepping onto the bath mat, she reached over to the shelf above the toilet. The "mutant lovers" that Professor X was always offering refuge from the rest of the world in exchange for their services always put the towels either on of above it. She picked one up and dried off.  
  
After wrapping the towel around her torso, she opened the bathroom door and felt the cooler air enclose around her body. She picked her way across the blanket of food to her clothes. Strangely, she found them totally unlike how she had left them the night before. Regarding that as coincidence, she began to dress.  
  
Going over to Gambit's dresser, she found his brush and began to brush out her wavy hair. She went to the window and looked out. Unlike the younger students' rooms, the older mutants' rooms were single complexes and did not have balconies, just huge bay windows. She almost couldn't wait until she graduated. She valued her roommate, another senior named Oriana, but she valued her privacy even more.  
  
It was a beautiful day. As Angela looked down onto the courtyard with it's statues and flowers and into the myriad of milling students, she felt completely at peace. Then she remembered that she hadn't been taking that good of care of her roses and decided to go and see how they were doing. She took the elevator to the main floor and walked out into the hallway.  
  
As she turned the corner to go to the front hall, Sam, Tori, Electra, and her boyfriend, Jamal, turned also.  
  
"What about Christy?" Tori had been saying. They had been soul searching for a suitable girl for Sam for months. Unfortunately, Sam had very high expectations. Out of over 1000 girls that went to Xavier's, Sam had only accepted going out with 12 of them. After one or two dates with one girl, Sam always managed to find at least one thing wrong with each.  
  
"No, she's Brad's girl." Electra pointed out.  
  
"Oh, yeah." Tori bit her lower lip.  
  
"Were is Bobby?" Electra asked.  
  
"He's at a training session." Tori said.  
  
As Angela walked by, Sam said, "Hey, Rogue."  
  
She was in such a hurry to get outside, she hadn't seen the group of teenagers. But, hearing Sam's voice, she turned and said, "Oh, hiya Sam. Ya kin call me Angela." With that she took off in a jog the rest of the way to the way to the main doors.  
  
"Who was that?" Electra asked in a suggestive tone, raising her eyebrows.  
  
"That was mah teammate, Ro -- Ah mean Angela." Sam said and rolling his eyes at her. She had the nastiest mind.  
  
"Dangit, Sam! How come you get ta work with all the babes?" Jamal said. Electra punched him in arm. As with all girlfriend, she didn't like her boyfriend noticing other girls.  
  
Just then, they passed the biology room.  
  
"This is my stop." Jamal said, kissing his girlfriend good-bye and walking into the classroom.  
  
"What about her?" Tori asked.  
  
"Who?" Sam looked up and down the hall.  
  
"Angela."  
  
"Oh, no. She's Gambit's gal."  
  
"Who's Gambit?" Electra asked.  
  
"Mr. LeBeau." Sam knew that was the name she knew him by.  
  
"The French teacher?" Electra breathed deeply. "My Gosh, is he ever fine!"  
  
Sam let out a sigh. It had been like this for the last three months. And it was only October 8.  
  
Seeing Sam look so down, Tori patted his shoulder and said, "You just have to be patient. We'll find some one, Sam."  
  
Sam wasn't so sure.  
  
* * *  
  
Outside, Angela got her watering can and a box of Miracle-Gro out of the tool shed. She crossed the yard, ducking under the clothes line stocked with Logan's clothing. She watered her roses and sprinkled Miracle-Gro onto soil. Angela plucked a few lonesome weeds out of the precious soil.  
  
She stood up and brushed her hands off on her pant legs. She was thankful for the unusually warm weather. Now she could wear her top without a bra and not feel too obscene.  
  
Hearing a noise behind her, Angela turned around. Bobby stood behind her, his hands behind his back. He had a mischievous smile on his face that told her that he was up to no good.  
  
"Hi, Angela." Bobby said in a sing-song voice.  
  
"Hi, Bobby." She replied, mimicking his tone.  
  
"I got's sumpthin' for you." Bobby was starting to sound like a love- sick 1st grader.  
  
"Cut the crap, Bobby. What is it?!" Angela placed her hands on her hips.  
  
"This!" Bobby took a bucket out of behind his back. It was filled with water. Knowing Bobby, it was probably ice cold.  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"I would."  
  
Angela screamed as the cold liquid hit her front and penetrated her shirt. She stood there a moment, shocked. Then she turned and ran into the house, grabbing a flannel shirt off of the clothes line.  
  
As the door slammed shut behind her, Bobby jumped into the air. "HOME RUN FOR BOBBY!!" he whooped. Calming down, he said under his breath, "Angela 0, Bobby 1000." 


End file.
